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Tag: data

  • Telstra to plans another free data day after outage

    Telstra to plans another free data day after outage

    Australia’s largest operator Telstra will offer customers another free data day as an apology for its third mobile network outage in less than a month.

    Telstra CEO Andy Penn said he is “deeply disappointed” and acknowledged that multiple outages in such a short period is “absolutely unacceptable.

    The outage took place on Thursday, and was caused by a large number of customers who were disconnected due to an international connectivity issue all reconnecting at once.

    An estimated 8 million subscribers were affected, or around half of Telstra’s total mobile customer base.

    While services were restored for most customers within two hours, the company was still responding to customer complaints over Twitter as of Friday with a message that the company was progressively restoring mobile services, the report notes.

    The disruption followed another outage affecting millions of customers  – which led the operator to offer customers a free data day by way of an apology – and another affecting around 500,000 pre-paid customers earlier this month.

    Also last week, Telstra announced it has appointed former Nokia CEO Stephen Elopto the newly created role of group executive for technology, innovation and strategy.

    In his new role Elop will help Telstra meet its ambitions of becoming a world-class technology company, Penn said in a statement.

    “Stephen will immediately add major firepower to our team with his extensive and deep technology experience and an innate sense of customer expectations. He is a recognized international technology leader and strategist from across a range of global organizations,” he said.

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  • New Rule for Foreign Internet Data and Content Providers

    New Rule for Foreign Internet Data and Content Providers

    The rapid development of the digital world has encouraged internet data and content providers to expand their business to developing countries like Indonesia. The problem is that Indonesia is not prepared for this development. Although there are almost 100 million internet users in Indonesia, this business is not adequately regulated.

    Today, internet data and content providers can run their businesses in Indonesia without having to establish a legal business entity in the country. Telecom operators, meanwhile, have to invest significant amounts developing the network infrastructure used by these ‘over the top’ (OTT) companies.

    Minister of communications and informatics, Rudiantara, said that regulations are to be put in force to govern the presence of foreign OTTs in Indonesia. “They will have to be permanent legal entities in Indonesia,” said Rudiantara, Jakarta, Friday (11/3).

    The government believes that consumer protection, equality before the law in tax matters, and properly handling of customer complaints are three reasons that these companies need to have a presence in Indonesia.

    Under current rules, collecting taxes from foreign OTT companies, which are not registered in Indonesia, is difficult. Meanwhile, the telecom firms that provide internet services that are vital to the running of the OTT business in Indonesia, pay substantial amounts of tax to the government.

    Data from the Ministry of Communications and Informatics revealed that the value of digital advertising, a major source of revenue for OTT firms in Indonesia, was more than US$ 800 million a year ago. “Two major global firms account for seventy percent of digital ads,” he added.

    While Rudiantara admitted that setting up a permanent business entity in Indonesia is not easy, the government will make it easier by offering three options: setting up a business entity individually, entering into a joint venture with other companies, or partnering with a mobile operator in the country.

    The new rules, which are expected to be passed early next month, aim to benefit the Indonesian people as users of OTT services. “Indonesia is not just a market; the people of Indonesia should benefit from this, too,” said Rudiantara.

  • Online data disrupts how consumers buy cosmetics in Singapore

    Online data disrupts how consumers buy cosmetics in Singapore

    The global market research firm TSN just released the results of a study—The Connected Life—that found nearly nine out of every ten shoppers (88%) in Singapore research products before making a purchasing decision.

    “It’s unsurprising that Singaporeans are exceptionally good at shopping,” says retail expert Fabio Trabucchi of TNS Singapore, in his recent commentary piece for the Singapore Business Review. “With more high-end malls per capita than anywhere else in Asia, shopping is now a well-entrenched national past-time.”

    Pre-shopping

    A preponderance of personal care items consumers in Singapore investigates products and prices before actually shopping to buy.

    “Ever keen for a bargain, almost eight in ten (78%) shoppers say they do pre-purchase research for personal care products such as skin care, perfume, and cosmetics, and 66% for hygiene items such as deodorant and shower gel,” explains Trabucchi, referring to data from The Connected Life study.

    This marks a shift in consumer behavior that could inform brand strategy to good effect, aligning packaging, branded content and ingredient information with new consumer preferences.

    “Previously these categories used to be a prime area for impulse buying, but thanks to the ease of the internet, Singaporean shoppers are getting savvier about the products they chose and the rationale behind it,” remarks Trabucchi.

    Information age

    Getting informative content in front of consumers is the key to capturing shoppers’ attention and dollars today.

    Multinational companies are ahead of the game, producing beauty content that resonates with consumers. L’Oréal recently opened an in-house branded content studio in Canada , where employees can create dynamic messaging to reach consumers with information that matters.

    “As consumers in Singapore adopt a more considered approach to their purchases, brand owners and retailers can provide the information – and incentives – they need to make up their minds,” confirms Trabucchi in his post for the Singapore Business Review.

    “Whether online or offline, businesses need to understand researching behaviours and ensure they are providing shoppers with relevant content that informs their purchase decisions,” he believes.

    Concluding, “this means they must stop thinking in terms of advertisements and start becoming content providers that offer relevant information and offers at every stage of the shopper journey.”

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  • Indonesians pressure the country’s largest telco to lower data costs

    Indonesians pressure the country’s largest telco to lower data costs

    Indonesians are pissed off about Telkomsel’s data package pricing policy. While they’re considered expensive for Jakartans, Telkomsel – Indonesia’s state-owned and largest mobile carrier – charges up to twice as much for the same amount of data if you happen to live in a bad “zone.”

    To protest this, activist Djali Gafur started a petition called “Internet for the people“. It has already accumulated over 10,000 signatures.

    Telkomsel divides the archipelago into 12 districts. Jakarta, as well as most parts of Java and the surrounding islands are in Zone 1, and tariffs actually go up as the areas get more remote. West Papua’s Raja Ampat district, for example, is in Zone 12.

    “We in Zone 12 don’t have a choice,” says Gafur in the petition on Change.org. It’s true because Telkomsel is often the sole carrier in remote areas. The others don’t even bother because the infrastructure costs outweigh the opportunities.

    Gafur demands that people in his area get access to the internet for an equal price, so that they too can participate in things like education, tourism, government, and creative industries online. “If [the connection] is a little slow, that doesn’t even matter so much,” he adds.

    Indonesia’s ICT Minister Rudiantara has since responded to the petition, and met with Telkomsel’s president director to discuss the matter, according to local media.

    Rudiantara said that the government is looking into subsidizing Telkomsel in areas where it is the only operator on the ground, supported by the Universal Service Obligation (USO) fund.

    The USO in its current form has been in place since 2005. Mobile phone carriers operating in Indonesia have to contribute 1.25 percent of their gross revenue into a shared pool, which non-profit government agencyBP3TI deploys toward connectivity programs in remote areas.

    Apparently, BP3TI is not quick enough to keep up with the demand for affordable mobile internet connectivity in the remote parts of Indonesia.

    Indonesia currently has no regulation on data tariffs, but according to Rudiantara, discussions on this will take place in 2016. In order to allocate funds from the USO to support Telkomsel in said remote zones, USO’s structure has to be changed. That will take time. For now, it’s up to Telkomsel to respond to the increasing frustration from people in zone 12.

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